History's Shadow I: Legends Born (Tahir Edition) #Wattys2014

Bonus Chapter: Fausta II

"Twice now you have survived Alexander's attack." Guillaume leaned against the frame of the door watching Fausta frantically stuff her pack with an assortment of items.

"Three times." Fausta corrected. Her mind was racing she didn't even think about what she was grabbing, anything that would fit.

"Truly, the luck of the sprites is upon you."

"It wasn't sprites and it wasn't luck. Alexander didn't kill me because he didn't want to." She looked up at him, her sharp, blue eyes pierced through the darkness. "He's my brother."

"Your..." Guillaume looked to see if anyone heard then stepped into room pulling the door shut. "Your brother? How is that possible? How do you know?"

"I, I don't know. But he is. His eyes..."

"Oui, they are blue. Fausta, you are not the only one with blue eyes. Look at Davide, is he also your brother? Alexander is a wolf, you are a fox, he is thousands of years old..."

"And how old am I?

"I would guess no more than 25."

"And I would guess Amalia to be no older than 30, but how long has she been teaching at Asymptier?"

"..."

"And can you honestly tell me that you've seen eyes like mine before? So intensely blue that they almost glow? That flicker in the dark like a cat's? Have you seen it on anyone? Anyone but Alexander?"

Guillaume sat on the bed. He rubbed his beard in thought. "But he is a wolf, and you are fox."

"Alexander could be anything, we just know that he often shows himself in wolf form. And I am a human!"

"A human with pointed ears, a fox tail, heightened sense of smell, night vision, red hair..."

"But I'm still a human. How can I be a fox and a human at the same time?"

Guillaume raised an eyebrow. She knew what he was thinking, she knew the answer as soon as she asked. She sighed and sat next to him. He wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I don't know who or what you are, Little Fox. But I do know that where you begin isn't nearly as important as where you end up. It is very rare for life to be simple, for there to be clear answers. Especially when concerning wizards."

"I'm not a wizard Guillaume! And pretending to be is only going to get me killed." She stood up and grabbed her pack. "I'm done with these wizard games. I'm leaving."

Guillaume stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Fausta, you are a wizard. And you are far more powerful than you realize. I am afraid there is no escaping these wizard games. If what you say about Alexander is true, do you really think you can leave here and never be troubled with the affairs of wizards again? You think Alexander has called off his hunt? The dryads will turn a blind eye? That the Brotherhood will not expect favors in return for what we have given you? If there were a way out, believe me, I would have taken it long ago. No, Little Fox, you are a key piece in this game, and you will play until it is won."

"You told me I wasn't a prisoner here. You promised I could come and go as I wished." She tried to hide the trembling in her voice.

"You are no prisoner! I am a man of my word. If you insist, I will escort you, but where will you go?"

"I'll find someplace."

"May I suggest you something?"

She nodded.

"Leave the Palace, if that will make you feel better. But stay with the Brotherhood. I can give you a long-term assignment in a safe place. You study, do some bookkeeping and draw maps. I check on you once every few weeks and you let me know if you find anything of interest. You like books, yes? For you, this is easy. You will live in a big city, have a job, a home and a relatively normal, safe life plus all the support, protection and resources of the Brotherhood at your disposal."

She nodded. Guillaume smiled and kissed her forehead. "Take your time and make sure you have everything you need. I have to gather a few things and inform Asad. We leave within the hour if that is what you desire."

"Yes. Thank you, Guillaume."

He smiled and ran his hands through her hair then turned for the door. As his fingers touched the handle, paused. "I'm going to miss you, Little Fox."

"I'm going to miss you too."

He smiled and exited the room, closing the door behind him. He rubbed his face and leaned against the door for a moment. Could Fausta really be Alexander's sister? If she was, what did that mean and did Alexander know?

He hurried through the rocky halls of the Palace to his room and grabbed a few trinkets and his black robe before heading to Asad. He slipped through the crowd of wizards coming and going, hardly noticing his existence. He ducked under a rock formation to the oft ignored passage to the master library, where Asad usually spent his time.

He found their leader as he usually was: sitting in the most grandiose chair in the Palace, set upon a stage of sorts with a scroll in his hand and an entourage of wizards sitting on the steps below him.

Guillaume bowed as he entered. Asad gestured for him to come forward. Guillaume approached and sat at the top step.

"Are you hear to study, Guillaume?" Asad asked.

"No, not today."

"Not today." Asad scoffed. "Not ever! If I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me. Your sister is here almost every day."

Guillaume's eyes found Gaëlle's. She gave him the same teasing smile she always did when he was in trouble and she wasn't. "Yes, when she's supposed to be helping me find the Eye."

Gaëlle shot him a dirty look. Giullaume smiled.

"Yes, she's informed me that the trail has gone cold."

"This is true, but..."

"You aren't here to study and you don't have the Eye. That means you want something. What is it?"

"I'd like to assign Fausta to Caetano's shop. Her nose is no longer useful to me and she's becoming a liability. She also asks a lot of questions and most of our brothers are still afraid she will drain their power. She can keep Caetano in line, stay out of the way, yet still be of use to me when I need her."

"Seems a reasonable enough request." Asad nodded. "If that will help you find the Eye, make it so. But Guillaume, I want that Eye. We are entirely too close to let it slip through our fingers. The Twelve will return to us soon, we don't Artemisios thinking we've been lazy in his absence. I trusted you with this task because I knew you would not be tempted by the power of the Eye and suffer the same fate as Yousif. It seems the only thing you are suffering from is lack of ambition. Gaëlle, what does one have to do to motivate your brother?"

"A wooden spoon usually did the trick for maman."

The wizards all laughed.

"You get that Eye, Guillaume." Asad pointed his finger at Guillaume with a chuckle. "Or you get the wooden spoon! And you Gaëlle, stop brown nosing and help your brother."

"Yes, Asad."

The twins rose to their feet and left the library. Gaëlle interlocked her arm with her brother's as they slipped between rock formations.

"So what's the real reason you're getting rid of the fox?" She asked in their mother tongue.

"Did I say anything untrue?"

"Hmm." She cocked her head. "No. But I know you would rather cut out your eyes than willingly give up your little pet."

Guillaume sighed.

"Tell me." She stopped in her tracks and pulled him to face her."

"She wants to leave." Guillaume shrugged. "She said she's tired of these wizard games."

"Oh," she smiled. "But the games have only just begun."